Mobility is usually financed by external funding: scholarships and grants, as part of a project or an individual fellowship. The funding for long distance destinations must be organized independently. While applying, besides the most obvious organisations, try to find out information of all possible foundations, both national and international. The target country may equally have some scholarships worthwhile applying for.

If you apply within Erasmus+ or Erasmus Global Mobility programme, you are entitled for Erasmus scholarship from Aalto University, which is dictated by the destination and the length of the stay.

Check out the application deadlines for funding well in advance.

What: Visits to universities, research institutes, organisations and industries.

Where to go: Discuss with your supervising professor and/or your advisor(s) about the suitable places for you as they know your research field and should be able to recommend the best option for you. Research visits are not tied to agreements between the universities.

When: There is no definite rule at which stage of a research you should go: it depends on your research and objectives concerning the visit. You agree the timing of your visit period with your supervising professor and the host university.

For how long: The length of the research visit can be anything from one week to several months.

How: Each university has its own system for receiving long-term visitors. Check out their websites and be in contact with their international office and the professors in your field to ask what is the procedure for a research visit. Note that some universities arrange application periods for visiting researchers or scholars.

Important to note: When you go abroad as part of your doctoral education, you need to enroll as an attending student to Aalto University.

What: Course-based studies at partner university of Aalto University, or in some cases, some other university (so called freemover exchange). Usually exchange studies involve both taking courses and advancing your research work.

Where to go? Check from Aalto University's destination database which Aalto's partner universities accept doctoral students. Discuss with your supervising professor and/or your advisor(s) about the suitable places for you. Based on these discussions you may also agree about an exchange to a university that is not partner of Aalto University.

Exchange destinations for Aalto students

When? Exchange periods follow the academic calendar of the host university so the exchange begins usually in the beginning of the academic term/year and ends at the end of the academic term/year.

For how long: The duration of the exchange is from 3 months to 12 months.

How? If you apply within an exchange programme, please check the application periods and instructions (aalto.fi).

Important to note: When you go abroad as part of your doctoral education, you need to enroll as an attending student to Aalto University.

For more information: 

Funding for exchange studies
Contact persons for outgoing exchanges at Schools (aalto.fi).

Taking part in international conferences is also one way of including international elements to your doctoral studies and research and a good opportunity to network internationally. Conferences are excellent opportunities to present your research for the international research community and experts around the world and to map possible future post doc places. Feedback received from your presentation or poster will help to improve and proceed your research work and you get to strengthen your presentation skills. To get the most out of the conferences, make both a plan of your aims concerning the each conference participation and a list of those people you are interested in meeting.

If you plan to get credits from a conference presentation, please check that it is possible in the curriculum for your doctoral programme and read more at Individual studies (custom course credit).

If it not possible to go abroad for a longer period during your doctoral studies, short-term international summer and winter schools lasting for one or two weeks are perfect options to network, to get international dimension to your studies and to delve into some specific topic. Even a short period spent abroad discussing with international colleagues can open interesting new viewpoints for deeper understanding of your research field and development of your research.

ARTS: ARTS Grants for short term exchanges (aalto.fi)

Note that you can include studies from other universities in your degree, but credit transfer is only possible if you have received study credits from another university, displayed on a transcript. If you have not received official credits (often in the case of summer schools or seminars), you can include the studies as individual studies, read more at Individual studies (custom course credit).

Doctoral student in the field of ICT may apply to six months researcher  exchange at the EIT Digital Doctoral School. EIT Digital Innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) program for doctoral students in the field of ICT gives knowledge and competences to start new businesses and to launch new products and services. The program is composed of four intensive courses, six months’ researcher exchange and six months’ business development experience. All doctoral students accepted to Aalto University that are in the starting phase of their studies can apply. Please contact your supervising professor to enquire if the courses could be part of your doctoral studies. 

EIT Digital Doctoral School (eit.europa.eu)

EIT Digital (eitdigital.eu)

1. The supervising professor makes an initiative for joint supervision and submits the following documents to the doctoral programme's Doctoral education services.
   • Motivation letter (including the collaboration background and motivation for the double degree as well as the funding plan and publication plan)
   • Information about the partner university and contact person in the partner university
   • Information about the doctoral student, if the student is not yet a doctoral student at Aalto University (MSc degree and transcript, topic of the doctoral thesis)
2. The doctoral programme will check the information given above and sends the given information to the Head of the Department.
3. If the Head of the Department supports the initiative for joint supervision, the doctoral programme will start comparing the doctoral education requirements and processes with the partner university. Please note that this phase can take up to several months.
4. After the requirements and processes of the two universities have been compared in detail, a preparative meeting is recommended between Aalto and the partner university.
5. After the preparative meeting the Chair of the Doctoral programme committee is informed about the cotutelle agreement being planned, provided that there are no major contradictions or legal issues in the processes and requirements of Aalto and the partner university.
6. If the Chair of the Doctoral programme committee supports establishing the agreement on joint supervision, a proposal for the Dean will be prepared.
7. After the Dean’s approval, the doctoral student is encouraged to apply for doctoral studies at Aalto. If the partner university is an established partner, the approval of the Dean is not needed at this stage.
8. After the study right has been granted to the student (if not yet a doctoral student of Aalto), the final cotutelle agreement will be drafted together with the partner university and verified by the lawyers of Aalto. The final agreement will be signed by the Dean, the supervising professor and the doctoral student as well as the representatives of the partner university. Please note that this phase can take months.

Any questions? Please don't hesitate to contact your doctoral programme's Doctoral education services.

Aalto may agree to jointly supervise a doctoral degree with a university providing doctoral education of corresponding quality with that of Aalto University. The partner university has to be officially recognised or accredited by the appropriate authorities in its home country or its higher education system. The joint supervision arrangement must be based on genuine research cooperation between Aalto University and the partner university and bring added value to the research.

Joint supervision is always agreed upon in writing at the start of the studies. Schools are recommended to use the agreement template available at the doctoral programme. The template may be modified as necessary. Before drafting the cotutelle agreement, the joint supervision arrangement must be negotiated with the dean of the school, representatives of the doctoral programme, and the head of department. When planning joint supervision, it is advisable to compare the doctoral education processes of each partner university to identify the differences early on; this allows specifying any measures needed to take all the degree requirements and differences in educational processes into consideration in the cotutelle agreement. The process for the preliminary examination of the doctoral thesis must be agreed upon in detail.

• The student is admitted as a doctoral student and registered in accordance with the requirements of both universities. The student enrols (annually) as a student at both universities in accordance with the instructions of each school.
• The student pursues studies and research at both universities.
• The student is assigned supervising professors and thesis advisors at both universities and the division of supervision responsibilities is agreed on.
• The degree requirements of both universities are met: The requirements of the Aalto doctoral degree: Theoretical studies 40--60 ECTS and a doctoral thesis.
• The doctoral thesis meets the requirements of both universities. In such cases, the logos of both universities are printed on the doctoral thesis. If the requirements set for the thesis cannot be harmonised, the student writes two theses and notes in both that the degree was jointly supervised.
• The preliminary examination of the doctoral thesis meets the requirements of both universities.
• The doctoral thesis and the results contained in it are public.
• The public examination of a doctoral thesis may be jointly organised by the universities if the requirements of both  universities are met. At the public examination, Aalto University is represented by at least the custos and the opponent(s). If a joint public examination is organised, the unit is recommended to arrange a video connection with the partner university.
• The evaluation of the doctoral thesis meets the requirements of both universities.
• Both universities decide on the approval of the doctoral thesis independently based on their own criteria.
• The student receives a certificate from both universities.

• Name of degree at each university
• Registration/enrolment of the student
• Possible tuition fees and charging thereof
• Social security and insurance for the student
• Living, travel costs, and grants
• Funding of studies and supervision
• Costs incurred by the preliminary examination and the public examination of a doctoral thesis
• Names of supervisors, division of responsibilities between them, supervision arrangements, steering group, if applicable
• Timetable for studies, study/research periods at each university
• Field of study (e.g. research field, topic of doctoral thesis)
• Studies towards the doctoral degree
• Requirements for the doctoral thesis and publishing the thesis
• Language and abstract of the thesis
• Preliminary examination and evaluation of the doctoral thesis
• Timetable for the preliminary examination and approval of the doctoral thesis
• Public examination of a doctoral thesis, location of the examination
• Award of degree and certificates
• Commitment to ethical and other academic regulations
• Settlement of disputes
• Languages of agreement and cooperation
• Term of agreement
• Signatures

The conduct of the research and its contents, the use of materials and intellectual property rights are agreed on separately as necessary.

Aalto University applies the rules and guidelines of the school in question. The agreement cannot be in conflict with the rules and regulations of Aalto or of the participating school.

The following information is printed in the doctoral thesis automatically when using Aalto publication platform. If the doctoral thesis is not published in Aalto series, as often is the case in joint degrees, the following text is to be printed on the title page:

Tekniikan tohtorin tutkinnon suorittamiseksi laadittu väitöskirja, joka esitetään Aalto-yliopiston xx korkeakoulun luvalla julkisesti tarkastettavaksi korkeakoulun luentosalissa xx xxkuun x. päivänä 201x klo 12.

A doctoral doctoral thesis completed for the degree of Doctor of Science (Technology) to be defended, with the permission of the Aalto University School of XX, at a public examination held at the lecture hall xx of the school on xx month 20xx at 12 noon.